Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye to open
the Harlem Community Justice Center, the first full-scale court operation
in Harlem in 40 years. The creation of the new multi-jurisdictional community
court, which will focus on juvenile justice and landlord tenant disputes,
is a testament to the neighborhood's revitalization. The Center is located
in a landmark building at 170 East 121st, which underwent a $3 million renovation
by the City, including restoration to the facade, roof, two courtrooms and
the upgrade of many of the building's fixtures.

"The opening of the Harlem Community Justice Center marks a new step
in the resurgence of this proud, historic community," the Mayor said.
"New York City's progress in modernizing our court system communicates
the importance and essential dignity of the legal process. But it is not just
the building itself, but the innovative practices that will occur inside that
will help New York City retain its status as the pre-eminent local law enforcement
community in the nation."

"The thorny problems of neighborhoods cannot be tackled in a courtroom
alone, without the participation of the community," Chief Judge Kaye
said. "The Harlem Community Justice Center relies on strong partnerships
forged within the community that it serves, including local law enforcement,
governmental agencies, educational institutions, and social service providers,
to more effectively resolve conflicts involving families, youths and neighbors.
The Center's creation is a recognition of the fact that achieving just outcomes
often requires more than simply a court order-a whole network of support and
resources from the community must also come into play."

Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman said, "One of the most exciting
features of the Harlem Community Justice Center is the Juvenile Intervention
Court, which takes our successful statewide drug court program to a new level
of deterrence-one that uniquely targets young people. This court will intervene
early to steer youngsters who are abusing drugs or who are at risk of such
behavior away from a tragic course of addiction as adults. This will have
invaluable long-term benefit for the community of Harlem by helping troubled
youths avoid further misbehavior and become active, engaged productive citizens."

Features of the Harlem Community Justice Center include:

Youth-Focused Family Court - Will handle cases involving youths,
including juvenile delinquency and persons-in-need-of-supervision (PINS) matters.
An important component will be New York City's first Juvenile Intervention
Court, which will focus exclusively on young people who have been arrested
for non-violent drug-related offenses or who are at risk of substance abuse
to intervene before drug-abusing behavior becomes entrenched.

Youth Court - A unique forum in which young people charged with
low-level offenses are judged by their peers, who have been trained as judges,
jurors and attorneys. Youths are encouraged to get back on track through sentences
of community service, drug treatment, counseling, tutoring, mentoring and
internships. Compliance with sentences handed down ranks high at 89 percent,
compared with adult courts.

Housing Court - Will address all types of disputes that typically
bring landlords and tenants to court, including non-payment, nuisance complaints
and the failure to make necessary building repairs. The Court seeks more effective,
speedier dispositions and increased compliance with court orders by making
information and services available at the courthouse, such as drug treatment,
mediation, entitlement assistance, building maintenance classes and loan assistance
programs.

The Harlem Community Justice Center is being implemented in stages, beginning
with the Youth Court and Housing Court, and with the Family Court component
opening this summer. Acting Supreme Court Justice Rolando T. Acosta will preside
over all Family and Housing Court matters. The Center is located in the heart
of East Harlem at 170 East 121st Street in a newly renovated former magistrate's
courthouse. Its jurisdiction covers East and Central Harlem.

Planned in association with the Center for Court Innovation (the research
and development arm of the state court system), the creation of the Justice
Center reflects a national trend begun in 1993 when New York's groundbreaking
Midtown Community Court was first established. Since then community courts
have sprung up in dozens of locations across the country, including Connecticut,
Oregon, Minnesota, Florida and Texas, based on the original New York model.

New York City's $2.5 billion court construction plan has allowed the City
to complete a new Queens Civil Court and a Bronx Housing Court. In addition,
the City wiill break ground on a combined Family and Supreme Court Criminal
Term courthouse in Brooklyn next month and a new Bronx Criminal courthouse
before the fall. Today's opening marks the third community court in New York
City, following the opening of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in June
of last year.